Þingstaðr

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Þingstaðr (fem. Þingstǫð ) is the Old Norse term for the Thingstätte (court and (people) meeting place, see Thing ) and court system and order of the Viking Age Iceland of the early and high Middle Ages .

When Iceland was settled from the second half of the 9th century , the legal constitution and order for the judiciary was taken over from the continental home of Scandinavia ( Norway ). The free, thus legally competent men of the peasant society gathered regularly on local things that regulated the local legal affairs in private and criminal law , in legal matters up to legislation ( lögrétta ) as well as advice for other social issues. The local places where the thing was held are called Þingstaðr . It is therefore oneGeneric name for this legal institution and not a proper name .

Legal and administrative organization

The Icelandic law of the so-called Grágás ( Free State from 930 to 1262/64) stipulates that three legally stipulated seasonal things (skapþing) must be held every year .

  • várþing the "spring thing ". Divided into the sóknarþing "Thing on which legal matters were brought up" and the skuldaþing "Thing for the settlement of money and debt payments".
  • alþingi the "Althing" in the middle of summer
  • leið , leiðarþing or haustþing the " autumn thing "

These regular thinge should work together for three goðorð " Godentümer be held". Evidently there have been 39 gods in Iceland since the administrative reform in the second half of the 10th century and the division into regional quarters (965) ( see: Historical administrative structure of landsfjórðungar ). The law provided that the spring and autumn things were held at the same Þingstaðr . A godhood formed a district of at least 13 things, the boundaries of which were not precisely defined, and every Bonde (free (large) farmer) could, according to the law, belong to a godhood of his choice within his country quarter. The three things in each of the three districts of the east, south and west quarters were required by law. For the north quarter there was a different requirement to hold four annual events. For the country's fourth of the second half was the 10th and at the time the 11th century an additional about district royal fjórðungsþing "quarter Thing" introduced from about 970 to the 11th century. Probably with partial separate Þingstaðr . The Thinge and Þingstaðr were not tied to one location, but according to the sources of saga literature, the places were relocated within the district and district more often (with the exception of the Althing on Þingvellir ).

Location of the Þingstaðr

As in the rest of Germania, the Icelandic population held their thing outdoors. There are no clear structural traces of permanent structures on the sites, only the traces of temporarily used " booths " built especially for the time of the holding of things indicate the ingstaðr . The Thing participants lived in these light structures during the Thing period. A general characteristic of these places is their proximity to rivers and lakes.

These stalls are the remains of the walls of small earth houses with an average internal dimension of 10 to 20 m². It is uncertain whether there was a canopy, or it cannot be proven, so that the assumption exists that those arriving stretched the tent sheets they had brought with them over the earth walls. On the other hand, in the sagas the phrase “tjalda búð sína” (in English “camping in his place” ) is used, which could mean that the walls were covered with the tent from the inside out. The simpler process of overvoltage is given preference in research. In addition to the booths as evidence of a Þingstaðr there are the so-called dómhringr "court ring ", in which, according to the sources, the Goden had sat when deciding on legal matters. Most of these are of a younger age, as little of these rings have come down to us in the old sources when things were held. The word apparently refers to the judges themselves when they lined up in circles in their judicial service. Alternatively, the remains of ring-shaped structures associated with the court rings may have been used as cattle shelters or as pens for riding horses.

According to the sources, during the spring thing the men went to the so-called „ ingbrekka "Thing Hill " to make announcements there. Most Þingstaðr have hills of different sizes, but there are no particularly conspicuous exposed hills for this purpose.

Known Þingstaðr

  • West quarter (Vestfirðingafjórðungr)
    • Þverárþing in Borgarfjǫrðr. Precise location is unknown, in the 12th century, the Thing was on an island of Þverá held
    • Þórsnesþing , held at Snæfellsnes near the Helgafell , later moved further into the headland. The settlement name Þingvellir from the late Middle Ages indicates the approximate location of the Thingab holding, without any archaeological traces.
    • Þorskafjarðarþing . For the Westfjords at Kollabúðir in Þorskafjǫrðr ; badly affected by a river that flows into the bay of Þorskafjǫrðr and by construction work from the 19th century. Remains of allegedly twelve old stalls.
  • North Quarter (Norðlendingafjórðungr)
    • Húnavatnsþing at Þingeyrar. Around 1900 archaeological findings of booths and dómhringr (ring-shaped structures).
    • Hegranes in Skagafjǫrðr with remains of eighty buildings, mostly stalls, the richest Þingstaðr .
    • Vǫðlaþing in Eyjafjǫrðr. The location is mentioned in the Víga-Glúms saga ; the information corresponds to a small area of ​​ruins found in the eastern fjord bay.
    • Eyjarþing . On two islands in Skjálfandafljót Þingey and Skuldaþingsey . The names are reminiscent of the regulation in the laws on spring tinging. Finds of the remains of booths on both islands weighing thirty booths on Skuldaingsey.
  • East Quarter (Austfirðingafjórðungr)
    • Múlaþing at Þingmúli in Skriðdalr. In the 19th century the remains of booths and the old place name Þinghóll indicate the Þingstaðr .
    • Skaftafellsþing. Narrated in the Landnámabók near the Skaftafell settlement. Due to changes in the natural area (volcanic eruptions), no archaeological evidence is available.
  • South Quarter (Sunnlendingafjórðungr)
    • Rangárþing named and localized after the Rangá rivers ( Ytri-Rangá and Eystri-Rangá ) that flow through the Thing district. However, the name seems to have only been used for the thing district.
    • Árnesþing after the place of Árnes an island of the Þjórsá . No remains of booths were found, but finds from dómhringr (ring-shaped structures). To the west of the ójórsá, north of Árnes at the Búðafoss waterfall, the remains of thirty stalls were found, and the place was probably moved there.
    • Kjalarnesþing near Kjalarnes between Kollafjörður and Hvalfjörður . Narrated in the Íslendingabók as a forerunner of the Althing on Þingvellir. The existence of a thing is doubted because of the lack of archaeological traces. Corresponding finds on the headland Þingnes , southeast of Reykjavík on Lake Elliðavatn , of twenty ruins of stalls and dómhringr , some of which come from the conquest, it is assumed that the district thing was moved from Kjalarnes to Þingnes. Furthermore, it is considered that Þingnes was originally called Kjalarnes and that the change was made by holding the thing on the nearby headland of the same name.

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